Surviving Dinner (Baby Edition) – Self-Feeding

“Surviving Dinner” is a series that is not about good wifeing, mothering, or cooking. It’s about surviving. It’s for those nights when you’re tempted to write “fast food” on the menu, but cooking at home will save you a few dollars, a few hundred calories, and loads of mommy-guilt. And now that baby is eating with the rest of you, you need a strategy! Feeding them foods you’re already cooking for everyone else or having some pre-prepared purees in your freezer will help you save money on baby food, ensure the freshest ingredients and best flavor, and let you focus on cooking dinner for the rest of the family.

This Surviving Dinner: Baby Edition will be my last. Because although the baby food phase comes along and is new and fun and exciting and adorable, it is also short-lived. Now at 10 months old, I no longer prepare a separate dinner for the babe and she eats whatever we are eating. When I try to feed her purees on a spoon (for convenience and cleanliness) they’re often rejected in favor of the independence of self-feeding.

So today I’m listing some of my favorite self-feeding options. Most of them aren’t terribly messy. 🙂

cheese

canned beans (well-rinsed)

pasta

pieces of meatballs or ground beef

soft veggies from soup or chili

small pieces of potato or any steamed veggie

pieces of shredded chicken

peas

banana or pear pieces (though fruit gets pretty squishy and messy)

It’s so fun when baby reaches that age where you can watch them learn to love different foods, and choose what to eat for themselves! Of course it’s not all smooth sailing. Take the other night, for example. Baby didn’t want to feed herself, didn’t want to eat off a spoon, and didn’t want to sit in her high chair.